The present invention relates to a container handling system and, more particularly, to a container handling system which stacks a predetermined number of containers in a predetermined configuration for shipping and reduces the need for operator involvement.
Currently, various packaging and shipping methods are used to transport containers, such as bottles, from one location to another. Such methods include palletizing layers of vertically orientated bottles upon one another to form a shipping package, wherein the shipping package contains a predetermined number of bottles. Subsequently, the stacked layers of bottles are wrapped or otherwise secured to ensure that they withstand the harshness associated with shipping.
Due to inventory and cost, it is critical that the number of bottles shipped in each container is known and consistent. As such, feeding mechanisms have been devised which ensure that the shipping package contains a predetermined number of bottles. Such mechanisms typically have a conveyor on which a pre-selected number of bottles are loaded. The bottles are then transported along the conveyor and loaded onto a pallet.
One conventional method of palletizing bottles is to feed them in from the single lane conveyance onto an accumulation conveyor by use of a slow down module. In this way, the single lane of bottles is changed to a stream of either two wide or three wide, which then hit the back of a previously accumulated pack. When this happens, the stream spreads out over the entire width of the belt to the edges of the accumulator and are patterned. Once the bottles are patterned, a layer is swept onto a pallet. While this method does palletize bottles, it has several drawbacks. Specifically, as the bottles are flowing to the sides of the accumulator, they can either fall over, miss a spot (void), or jumble up such that they are out of pattern. In addition, when a layer is swept off, bottles may be crushed and destroyed. Overall, with these drawbacks an operator is required full time to watch the pattern, fill voids, and make corrections as required.
A second method of palletizing blow molded bottles is to separate the one single lane as described above into six single lanes with automatic divert gates. Once the proper number of bottles are counted, a bottle stop is closed and the six lanes of bottles are run into the sweep mechanism. The sweep mechanism sweeps as many times as it takes to form a complete layer. Once the layer is formed, then it is moved forward and stacked on the pallet. This method also has some drawbacks. Specifically, the bottles are unstable in the sweep mechanism and can tip over during the sweeping process. As a result, the machine is limited in speed and even at a low speed the sweep mechanism is unreliable and thereby requiring an operator. In addition, the entrance of high speed blow molders into the bottling market are too fast for this concept, thereby requiring multiple palletizing machines to be used. The present invention was developed in light of these and other disadvantages.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention to provide a container material handling system and method which reduces the amount of container tippage during packaging.
It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a container material handling system which quickly and accurately selects and organizes a predetermined number of containers into a layer configuration for stacking.
Another advantage of the present invention is to eliminate the need for a human operator to ensure proper stacking and palletizing.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is the speed at which bottles may be patterned and placed onto a pallet.
An additional advantage of the present invention is that the bottles are held in place until they are palletized, thereby virtually eliminating the possibility of tipping which would destroy the pattern and certainty of the system.
To accomplish these and other advantages, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for packaging a plurality of containers, wherein each container has a body and an engagement lip surrounding a neck portion, which comprises a plurality of steps. First, a set of containers is provided. Next, the containers are loaded on a plurality of neck guides and driven along the neck guides to a gathering area to form a bundle of containers. The containers are patterned and closed into a xe2x80x9cnestingxe2x80x9d pattern bundle to provide the maximum number of containers per volume. A transfer device then stacks the bundle on a pallet where it is xe2x80x9cresquaredxe2x80x9d to ensure maximum rigidity. In a further aspect of the present invention, the above steps are repeated for a plurality of sequential sets of containers and corresponding bundles until the proper shipping package size is achieved.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.